Faith Comes By Hearing

Faith Comes By Hearing is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that records and provides the Bible in the languages of the world.[1] It provides audio Bibles, primarily the New Testament, in over 1,300 languages. The organization is a member of the Forum of Bible Agencies International and the Wycliffe Global Alliance. The Chairman of the Board for the organization is Murray J. Crawford, and its president is founder Gerald (Jerry) Jackson.

Faith Comes By Hearing
TypeNonprofit organization
IndustryMultilingual Audio Bible Distribution
Headquarters
Albuquerque, New Mexico
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Websitewww.faithcomesbyhearing.com

History

The ministry, which began under the name "Hosanna," was founded in 1972 by Jerry Jackson and his wife Annette Jackson as a library that lent cassette tapes geared towards Christian themes and ideas provided by various teachers.[2] The idea for producing audio Bibles came from a missionary visit of theirs to a Hopi Indian reservation, where they discovered that written Bibles translated into the Hopi language were not being used due to chronic illiteracy.[3]

Hosanna entered the international marketplace in 1986, when the ministry began working with several Haitian missionaries to record a Creole translation of the Bible.[2] From 1986 forward, the ministry used revenues as well as donations to record translations of the Bible in hundreds of different languages. In 1991, its first international recording office opened in Ghana.[2] The organization works with several Bible translators and distributors.[4]

The language professor Alexander Arguelles notes that it is possible to use these recordings and the equivalent bible text in one's own language, to start learning any of the languages.[5] For many there is no other way to learn the language.[6]

Modern technology

In 2004 the ministry began distributing the Proclaimer, a device developed in house with an audio chip that broadcasts recordings of the Bible to as many as 300 people. Rechargeable via an electrical socket, solar energy, or a hand crank,[2] the Proclaimer's battery can last through enough charges to play the New Testament more than 1,000 times. In 2006 the ministry began producing audio Bible MP3s, fitting the entire New Testament onto a single disc, instead of over a dozen CDs or tapes. During this period its revenues rose from $8 million to $22 million over four years.[2] The Proclaimer is also now given away for free to individuals in developing countries.[2]

Later on the ministry developed the "BibleStick", a personal audio device that uses digital technology to broadcast. More than 900,000 BibleSticks have been donated to US soldiers overseas since their invention.[7] The Biblestick sent to the military differs from those sent to other areas of the world, as it is designed to reduce visibility in low-light situations.[8]

The organization forms Bible listening groups, and developed more than 85,000 of these groups worldwide in 2009, varying from a few dozen individuals to groups of thousands.[9] The organization has now set up almost a million groups.

As of March 2018, the ministry has produced audio Bible recordings in over 1150 languages, representing over 6 billion speakers in over 190 countries,[10] and there has been over 900,000 Proclaimers distributed worldwide.[11][12]

The ministry's Bible.is app, available for both Apple and Android listening devices, offers over 90% of the ministry's languages to users. In November 2012, they added an app for the deaf community called the Deaf Bible app, which provides video of Scripture in 15 sign languages to date.[13] In August 2014, the ministry launched the Bible.is KIDZ app to help kids engage with the Bible through interactive games and activities.[14]

All of the organizations digital expressions are powered by a system believed to be the world's largest digital Bible library called the Digital Bible Platform. In April 2013, the organization opened the Digital Bible Platform to approved developers through API (application programming interface) access.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Audio Bible Mission - Bible Strategy - Faith Comes By Hearing Audio Bible". www.faithcomesbyhearing.com. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  2. Megan Kamerick (May 6, 2010). "Faith Comes By Hearing's audio Bibles touch listeners, funders". New Mexico Business Weekly. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  3. "History". Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  4. "Faith Comes By Hearing/ Hosanna Ministries". Ministry Watch. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  5. "Geographic Language Museum". Arguelles. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  6. "Reviews of Language Self-Study Courses: Comparison, Problems, Ratings". Lang1234. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  7. "NM company brings the Bible to the battlefield". KRQE News 13. February 10, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  8. "Chaplains distribute thousands of Military BibleSticks to troops". Mission Network News. May 28, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  9. PCTV Newsdesk (December 29, 2009). "Faith Comes By Hearing Makes Historical Progress". Pakistan Christian TV. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  10. Eryn Sun (November 22, 2011). "Ministry Reaches 5 Billion People With Audio Bibles". Christian Post Reporter. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  11. "Audio Bible Ministry Announces the Word of God in 573 Languages…and Counting!". Digital Journal. August 22, 2011.
  12. Viviano, JoAnne (January 18, 2013). "Ministry's audio Bible heard around world". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  13. Schapiro, Jeff. "Leading Audio Bible Ministry Creates App for the Deaf". The Christian Post. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  14. "Bible.is KIDZ App engages kids with the Bible". Mission Network News.
  15. Yoder, Greg (April 10, 2013). "Digital Bible audio shared". Mission Network News. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
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